Series

Sket Dance (スケット・ダンス, Suketto dansu) is a manga series written and illustrated by Kenta Shinohara which has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since 2006 and ended July 2013. An anime adaptation began on April 7, 2011 and ran for two seasons.

Contents

Plot

"Worries, troubles, no matter what, tell us!! We will become your helpers!!"

The manga focuses on the misadventures of the "Campus Support Group" or Sket Dan, of Kaimei High School, a club devoted to solving any and all problems brought to it by the staff or student body for the general improvement of campus life. Due to its general lack of meaningful assignments and unglamorous 'group of handymen' reputation, the organization is treated with widespread contempt and it is composed of only three members.

The series is told through a series of short, self-contained stories focusing on cases undertaken by the Sket Dan, usually told in the space of one to two chapters. Cases to date focus on a variety of issues from more humorous cases like chasing monkeys around the school to more serious cases like dealing with near-terminal illness.

Characters from previous cases also often make cameos in later ones and recurring storylines, such as the Sket Dan's rivalry with the school's student council.

Manga

As of December 2010, the series has been collected into 16 tankōbon and has upwards of 160 chapters. It first debuted in 2006 as a oneshot in Akamaru Jump's winter issue, and then another in Weekly Jump's 39th issue. It was serialized in Weekly Jump starting in 2007.

Anime

Reception

From volume 6 onward, Sket Dance has consistently debuted on the weekly best sellers list for manga in Japan. Volume 6 debuted at number 9.[1] Volumes 7, 9, and 10 debuted at number 11.[2][3][4] Volume 8 debuted at number 13[5] while volume 11 debuted at number 12.[6] In January 2010, Sket Dance was announced as the winner of the 55th annual Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen manga.[7]

In September 2009, Japanese publisher Shueisha issued an apology in the 42nd weekly issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump over a depiction of main characters, Bossun and Himeko, inhaling helium to raise the pitch of their voices. The scene drew criticism for online forums and blogs over the danger of suffocation from breathing helium.[8]